Death is a FREEZE, not a collapse -- fall-latch vestige proven; band-effect impact frames

Task #32 (death collapse animation) resolved by decomp evidence -- BT 4.11 has
NO collapse animation; the movementMode 5-8 fall latch (clips 0x1c-0x1f) is an
engine-lineage vestige:
  (1) the clip-table loader FUN_004a80d4 fills slots 0x00-0x1b + 0x20 (bmp
      knockdown) and returns -- slots 0x1c-0x1f are never written;
  (2) mech+0x63c..0x648 appear in NO exported function;
  (3) no fall clip exists in the shipped 27-clip set;
  (4) firing the latch would bind resource id 0 -- a StaticAudioStream -- as
      keyframes.
Authentic death modes are the FREEZE modes (IsDestroyed == mode 2||9), so
UpdateDeathState now settles straight to 9 (was a [T3] mode-5 guess that would
trip the garbage latch in the binary).  The death READ = freeze + dnboom +
ddthsmk smoke plume + destroyed skins + shutdown; the wreck stands.

Also: damage-band effects orient toward the ATTACKER (impact frame) via
lastInflictingID -- which was declared but never written (recon gap); now
maintained by Mech::TakeDamageMessageHandler, unblocking the DamageZone LOD
same-attacker redirect too.

KB corrected + proofs recorded (combat-damage "Death SEQUENCE", open-questions).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

context/combat-damage.md

@@ -186,18 +186,23 @@ chain TWICE (the dtor-epilogue rule, [[reconstruction-gotchas]] §7) → a doubl
 ## Death SEQUENCE reconstruction — the map (2026-07-08)
 Full decomp map of the death path. Two tiers:
 **EXPORTED (reconstructable) [T1 read]:**
-- `Mech::AdvanceLegAnimation` (`FUN_004a5028`) / `AdvanceBodyAnimation` (`FUN_004a5678`) — the **collapse-anim
-  latch**: `movementMode` (mech+0x40) **5/6/7/8** = the four fall directions → clips **0x1c-0x1f** (via
-  `SetLegAnimation`/`SetBodyAnimation` = `FUN_004a7fc4`/`FUN_004a800c`), one-shot via `deathAnimationLatched`
-  (mech+0x650). Already reconstructed (mech2.cpp:550-557/817-822). The active drive path DOES call
-  `AdvanceBodyAnimation` (mech4.cpp:317) → reachable.
-  ⚠ **CONFLICT with the shipped clip inventory (2026-07-08) [T4 until re-read]:** BTL4.RES holds exactly
-  **27 named clip codes per mech** (`swr wwl wwr wsl wsr wrl wrr rrl rrr rwl rwr bmp bbl bbr bsl bsr sbl
-  sbr ggl ggr gsl gsr wgl wgr sqd squ trn`, + `*i` inside-skeleton variants) — NO explicit death/fall clip
-  name, and indexes 0x1c-0x1f (28-31) exceed a 27-entry table unless the table interleaves the i-variants
-  or carries non-resource entries. The "clips 0x1c-0x1f" claim needs the FUN_004a5028 latch region re-read
-  against the real StandingAnimation table before the collapse is built (task #32). Candidate authentic
-  visuals: the `bmp` (knockdown) family or `sqd` (squat/crumple).
+- `Mech::AdvanceLegAnimation` (`FUN_004a5028`) / `AdvanceBodyAnimation` (`FUN_004a5678`) — the **fall-anim
+  latch**: `movementMode` (mech+0x40) **5/6/7/8** = the four fall directions → animation-TABLE slots
+  **0x1c-0x1f** (`table[i]` at `mech+0x5cc+i*4`; `SetLegAnimation`/`SetBodyAnimation` =
+  `FUN_004a7fc4`/`FUN_004a800c` @part_012.c:13557/13570), one-shot via `deathAnimationLatched` (mech+0x650).
+  Already reconstructed (mech2.cpp:550-557/817-822).
+  ✅ **RESOLVED (2026-07-08, task #32): the fall latch is a VESTIGE — BT 4.11 has NO collapse animation.**
+  [T1] Four convergent proofs: (1) the clip-table loader `FUN_004a80d4` (@part_012.c:13604) fills slots
+  0x00-0x1b + 0x20 (the `bmp` knockdown) by name and RETURNS — slots 0x1c-0x1f are never written; (2) the
+  offsets `mech+0x63c..0x648` appear in NO exported function at all; (3) BTL4.RES ships **27 clip codes
+  per mech** (`swr wwl wwr wsl wsr wrl wrr rrl rrr rwl rwr bmp bbl bbr bsl bsr sbl sbr ggl ggr gsl gsr
+  wgl wgr sqd squ trn` + `*i` variants) — no death/fall clip; (4) firing the latch would bind the
+  zero-initialised slot = **resource id 0 = a StaticAudioStream** as keyframes (garbage) — dead code in a
+  shipped arcade build. The authentic BT death modes are the FREEZE modes: `IsDestroyed()` ==
+  (`movementMode` 2 || 9), locomotion zeroed by `FUN_004ab1c8`. **The death READ = instant freeze + the
+  dnboom explosion (psfx 7) + the ddthsmk smoke plume (psfx 1) + destroyed skins + subsystem shutdown —
+  the wreck stands.** `UpdateDeathState` (mech4.cpp) settles straight to 9 (never 5-8, which would trip
+  the garbage latch). If period pod footage ever shows a mech falling, that's NEW evidence — reopen then.
 - `Mech::IsDestroyed()` (`FUN_0049fb54`) = `movementMode==2||9` (reconstructed as `IsDisabled`, btstubs.cpp);
   `FUN_004ab1c8` freezes locomotion (zeros mech+0x298) when destroyed.
 - **`MechDeathHandler`** (ctor `FUN_0042a984` + Performance `FUN_0042aa2c`, cached mech+0x850 / `mech[0x214]`) —

context/open-questions.md

@@ -107,9 +107,11 @@ authentic path scoped.
   Full map + citations in [[combat-damage]] "Death SEQUENCE". ✅ (b) `MechDeathHandler` DONE (mechdmg.cpp) +
   ✅ the render-side **RemakeEntity** destroyed-mesh swap DONE 2026-07-08 (btl4vid.cpp
   `RemakeEntityRenderables` + `BTRemakeMechModel` bridge; in-place `SetDrawObj` swap — the tree dtor does
-  NOT cascade so never rebuild). **Remaining**: (a) the visible **collapse ANIMATION** latch
-  through the active path (+ spawned mechs don't advance body anim); (c) the whole-mech **DeathSplash**
-  radius damage. Do NOT issue DestroyEntityMessage on death.
+  NOT cascade so never rebuild). ✅ (a) **RESOLVED — no collapse animation exists in BT 4.11** [T1]: the
+  fall latch (modes 5-8 → table slots 0x1c-0x1f) is a vestige — no loader fills the slots, no fall clip
+  ships, and firing it would bind resource 0 (an AUDIO stream) as keyframes. Authentic death = FREEZE
+  (mode 9) + dnboom + ddthsmk plume + destroyed skins ([[combat-damage]] "Death SEQUENCE" for the proofs).
+  **Remaining**: (c) the whole-mech **DeathSplash** radius damage. Do NOT issue DestroyEntityMessage on death.
 - **Critical-subsystem plugs UNBOUND (43 skips/mech) [T3].** `MechCriticalSubsystem::subsystemPlug`
   never gets WIRED to its live subsystem (the ctor's Resolve() at mechdmg.cpp:276 only READS; the
   binding write is elsewhere/unreconstructed), so `SendSubsystemDamage` skips every entry via the